


To Hell and Back

by goomblegrumps (mssjaxxon)



Series: Ghoul Grumps [1]
Category: Game Grumps, Ghoul Grumps - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Ghoul Grumps, Polygrumps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-15 05:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5772262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mssjaxxon/pseuds/goomblegrumps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brian loses his wings and Dan can't handle life without him. Arin and Mark are sent to rescue him, but things go awry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Hell and Back

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is so long! I would have split it up into chapters but I always fuck up the formatting whenever I do, and then some chapters end up being ridiculously short, so it's easier to just keep it as one long thing.  
> If you're new to the Ghoul Grumps that I'm writing about, check out egobangin-in-the-house-tonight.tumblr.com for more details on the characters and whatnot.

Dan graces the Grump Space with his presence, a warm cup of coffee held close to his face. He has dark circles under his eyes from two days without sleep, and a pain in his back from hunching over his computer all night working on lyrics, and his regularly wild mane has become a mess of curls that he doesn't even want to attempt to tame. 

The last two days have been spent desperately working with Brian and Arin on finishing the third Starbomb album that is set to release in the summer. None of them have had any sleep in the past two days, although Brian doesn't actually require sleep to function properly. 

Not that Brian has been around all that much. The minute he has the keyboard part worked out or recorded for the song, he'll vanish instead of sticking around to help with lyrics and ideas for the next song. Dan and Arin really don't mind. Half of Brian's idea are jokes, such as making a six minute song about Elevator Action or Burgertime, so having him not help them tends to be less of a hindrance than one might think. 

Dan can't help but wonder where Brian disappears to, though. He just up and leaves. He usually has a reason, albeit half-assed excuses aren't real reasons, but he never leaves without saying something. It's rather suspicious, but Dan pays it no mind. He figures if Brian's keeping something from him, it's probably for a good reason. He's talked it over with Holly, and apparently Ross disappears late at night, too, usually when he thinks she's sleeping. The two of them decided it's an angel thing, and left it at that.

Dan trudges over to Brian's desk and takes a sip of his coffee, which is really the main concern of his focus at the time as it takes nearly all of his energy to focus on one thing. 

"Brian, did you get anymore work done with the Metal Gear-" Dan stops mid sentence as he realizes Brian is not sitting at his desk as he should be. The keyboard is off and there are no papers or sheets of music that suggest he's been there at all today. There's a mug sitting on his desk, but it's empty and looks like the one Brian had last night. Dan frowns and checks the time on his phone. It's almost noon, Brian should be here. He looks around as he takes another sip of his coffee. 

He moves over to Arin's desk instead, setting his coffee down near the edge. Arin looks up at him with tired eyes. His ears are drooping and his tail is hanging loosely from the back of his chair, his fur matted and even sticking up in small spikes in a few places. He's on the phone and holds up a finger to signal Dan to wait.

"Yeah, Suz, don't worry. I'm taking it easy. Yeah, I know. Listen, I'll come home early tonight, alright? Yes, I'll bring home cat food. Alright. I love you, too. Bye, babe." he sets his phone down and glances up at Dan. "Sorry, Suzy's sick and yet she's still more concerned about me than herself."

"It's all cool." Dan nods. "Have you seen Brian?" Arin leans over past his monitor to glance at Brian's empty desk and then shrugs.

"Haven't seen him since last night, dude." he grabs Dan's cup and takes a sip of his coffee before Dan can stop him, making a face as he does. "What the fuck is this shit?"

"That's mine." Dan chuckles, pulling the cup from his hand.

"Oh." Arin mutters, staring at the cup. "It's gross."

"Whatever, do you have any clue where Brian might have gone?" Dan tries, but Arin just shrugs again, redirecting his focus to the monitor in front of him as he pulls up his email. Dan groans and puts a hand to his pounding head, his lack of sleep is making it hard to focus. 

"Maybe Ross knows. Don't those two keep tabs on each other all the time or something?" Arin asks. Dan sighs in frustration. 

"I guess it's worth a shot." he mutters before he shuffles away, finishing his coffee and tossing out the empty cup. Ross isn't at his desk like he usually is, so Dan checks the recording room. As he suspected, Ross and Barry are recording something. Dan taps on the window gently and Ross glances away from the game. He rolls his eyes and says a couple of things before pausing the game and coming outside to talk.

"You're lucky we were almost done with the episode." Ross snaps annoyingly.

"Where's Brian?" Dan asks, more firmly than he had asked Arin. It's almost more of a demand for an answer than a question. Ross' faces shifts, but only slightly. Dan barely notices the change, but it's still there. Something almost nervous about the way he looks at Dan now.

"Brian? I don't know, haven't seen him all day. I figured he was recording some Starbomb shit with you and Arin, you know, since you've been doing that stuff for the past... few... weeks." Ross says, perhaps too quickly. Dan narrows his eyes. He can almost see the sweat starting to bead on Ross' face.

"What did you do to Brian?"

"I swear! I- I didn't do anything!" Ross raises his voice, holding up his hands in an attempt to proclaim his innocence. Barry pokes his head out of the recording room in concern, having heard the shouting.

"You two okay?" he asks, honestly concerned, and for a good reason, too.

"We're fine." both Dan and Ross snap in unison. Barry frowns, but walks past them, keeping a wary eye on Dan as he does. 

The second Barry is gone, Dan moves forward and pushes Ross back against the wall behind him. One hand is pressed against the wall beside Ross' head, the other on Ross' chest. Ross gulps as he sees the pure anger in Dan's eyes. 

"I'm not playing around, Ross, tell me where Brian is." Ross swallows nervously, giving Dan a weird sad smile. 

"I can't tell you. Brian made me promise not to tell you where he went." he says quietly. His entire disposition changes from frightened to sad in an instant.

"So you know where he went?" Dan growls. Ross shakes his head, his mouth held tightly shut despite Dan's hand pressing hard against his chest. "Where the fuck is he?"

"Hell." Ross suddenly says, his voice a barely audible whisper. Dan's blood runs cold at the word, but Ross seems unfazed. He doesn't even look up as Dan stares at him, his eyes wide with fear instead of narrowed with anger. His hand moves from Ross' chest as he takes a step back.

"What?" he asks. He wants to be certain he heard Ross correctly. 

"Hell. Brian's in hell." Ross repeats with a tiny nod. He's staring at floor now, looking almost ashamed. 

"He... no, that can't be... you- you're..."

"I'm not lying, Dan. I wanted him to tell you, but he said he couldn't. He... he lost his wings."

"But- but Brian's not a bad guy! I mean, sure he's done some stupid shit, but nothing that would get him put there! I just..."

"Angels are different than people, Dan. For each bad thing we do, we have to do several good things to counteract it. It's not as easy as it sounds, we have to keep equilibrium or it's the end of the line."

"No.. no, no, no, this can't be." Dan's panicking now, he's never been without Brian. Brian's been hesitant to leave his side since the attack, it was only a month or two ago that he finally decided he could let Dan sleep without creepily standing somewhere in the room, despite it being years since the attack and Dan constantly insisting he's fine. He can't be gone, can he?

"Dan, you need to calm down." Ross says. He hardly sounds concerned, which only makes Dan angrier.

"Don't you care?! Brian's in hell which means... he's... he's gone and he didn't even say goodbye, he didn't even tell me!"

"You're acting like you're the only person he cared about!" Ross shouts. 

"Ross, you barely knew him. I've known him for twenty years, he's protected me and.. and..."

"I've known him for centuries longer than you've known him, Dan! He was one of the few fucking angels left on this piece of shit rock, and now he's gone, and I'm all alone!" Dan's eyes soften a bit as realizes he was being rather rude to Ross. 

"What about us?"

"You're all gonna die some day, but I'll still be here. Brian was the only one who kept me sane between cycles, we'd meet on the occasional path, that was, until he found you. The minute he found someone else to occupy his time with, he stopped visiting me, and I was all alone until I found Arin and them." Ross almost sounds jealous and Dan frowns. 

"I didn't realize-"

"You didn't even know I existed, it's not your fault. I just... It's hard watching everyone you've ever loved die. Without Brian, when you guys are gone, I'm gonna be all alone." Tears are starting to form in the corners of Ross' eyes. 

"That's still quite some years."

"For you, yeah, but I've lived for centuries. It's nothing to me." Ross sighs.

"We can figure this out. There's got to be a way to get Brian out of hell, right?"

"No. Well, maybe, but you can't try. This is why Brian didn't want to tell you. He didn't want you trying to bust his ass out of hell. It's dangerous, and... I'm gonna quote him here, okay? 'Tell that scrawny piece of sushi that if he gets hurt trying to get me out of hell, I'm gonna come up there myself and bust his ass.'"

"Of course he said that." Dan smiles sadly. "Maybe I won't get him out, but someone can. We can't just let him rot. It wouldn't be fair to him, not after everything he's done for me. For us." Ross nods. 

"I guess you're right. It's not gonna be easy though."

"Let's go talk to Arin, he deserves to know what's going on."

-

"Brain's in hell?" Arin repeats, probably for the tenth time now. Both Dan and Ross nod half-heartedly. Arin's having trouble processing the information that's been thrown at him. 

"Yes, and we need an idea on how to bust him out." Ross says quickly, interrupting Arin before he can ask again. 

"Kevin?"

"He's on vacation with his family. By the time he gets back here, it'll be too late and Brian's soul will be corrupted. We need to get down there today, if possible."

"What about Mark?"

"Do you really think he'd do this for Brian?" Ross asks, his brows furrowed as he leans back into the couch. 

"Maybe not for Brian, but for Dan, yeah."

-

"Listen, if it weren't important, I wouldn't ask you to do this." Arin explains. He's on the phone with Mark, Dan and Ross hovering close behind him. 

"I get it, Arin. I'll be over in a few minutes. Is it okay if Jack comes, too?" Mark asks. Arin didn't even know Jack was in the U.S., let alone at Mark's place. He holds his hand over the phone and turns to the two standing right behind him. 

"Can Mark bring Jack?"

"Sure, make it a party, I don't fucking care, as long as he can fix this." Dan says, throwing his hands up dramatically before slumping back against the wall. Ross rolls his eyes at Dan

"Yeah, bring him." Arin says back into the phone. "Dan's gonna need him."

"Is he gonna be okay? Dan, I mean. You know I can't bring more than one person with me." Mark brings his voice down to a quiet tone, just in case Dan can hear him. 

"Yeah..." Arin hesitates. He doesn't believe himself, but there's not much else he can say with Dan standing right behind him. 

"You're not keeping this all from him, are you? You've gotta tell him what we're doing or else I'm not doing it, because if you disappear with me suddenly, Dan might lose it."

"Just get your ass over here, we can talk more then." Arin says before hanging up on Mark. 

"So he's gonna help?" Dan asks, pushing up from the wall. 

"He said he can try. It's not exactly easy to pull an angel out of hell."

"Isn't that what I said?" Ross asks, giving Dan a small grin. Dan glares at Ross and walks out of the room, vanishing into the recording room. Ross frowns at Arin and Arin just shrugs. 

"Maybe you should go after him." Ross says. "He clearly doesn't want to talk to me."

"Come get us when Mark gets here." Arin nods, jogging after Dan. He slips quietly into the recording room, finding Dan curled up on the couch in a soft blanket, his face red from crying. 

"Ross, if you've come to pester me more-" Dan starts, looking up to see Arin standing in the doorway instead of Ross. "Oh..." Dan murmurs quietly, tucking his face into the blanket like a frightened child, perhaps more out of embarrassment. 

"Do you want to talk?" Arin asks, sitting down beside Dan. 

"I guess..." Dan says quietly. "Brian was like my father. I mean, I had a real father, but Brian was the first real person I looked up to." 

"What about your actual family?"

"My parents both died when I was pretty young, I hardly remember either of them. My sister did most of the parenting when I was growing up, and even then she didn't do much. She just kept me alive, more than anything. She'd get worried when I'd leave home for a long time, and I know she really cared for me but..." Dan frowns. "I don't even know what she's doing now. I just left one day and never went back..."

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked." Arin chuckles dryly. 

"No, it's fine... uh... anyways, I used to swim out to this little rock in the middle of the ocean and just stare at the land in the distance, wondering if maybe someday I'd be able to go there. Ya know, real Little Mermaid shit. I dreamt of a different world, because the one I was living in just wasn't doing it for me."

"That's cheesy."

"But it's true. One day, when I came up to that same rock, there was this guy sitting there, just staring out at the sea with a similar longing gaze as I usually had. He had these massive wings coming out from his back, and a little halo hovering over his head. I thought he looked funky, but I'd never really seen a human  up close so I thought maybe they all looked like that."

"You thought humans looked like angels?" Arin laughs. 

"Hey, I was only 16 at the time and barely knew anything about the surface world. I didn't speak much English, either, but I knew enough to start a conversation. I think he thought I was a dolphin or some shit at first because when I talked he looked terrified. I remember the smile on his face when I asked him about the surface world. He taught me how to speak English properly, and every day I'd come up to that little rock to meet him. Some days I couldn't, and when I didn't I had to wonder if he was waiting there for me. It seemed like he was always there. I can't remember a day he wasn't."

"How long did you guys keep this up?"

"Until the attack. We had a routine, I'd surface when the sun was highest in the sky, because otherwise the mersharks or even regular sharks would be a danger. I remember how he watched over me one night when I wanted to see the stars, not the blurry underwater version, but the real thing. I remember how scared he was that I was gonna be attacked, even though he'd only known me for a year or two then. He spent twenty years of his life with me, and when the horrid day came that... well... you know... I was so scared I was gonna lose him. Being that close to losing him scared the shit out of me... and now I've really lost him and... and I'm just so scared that he's not gonna come back."

"I get it. I mean, I don't really get it because I've never lost someone that close to me, but I do kind of get it."

"I just wish he would have said goodbye." Dan mutters, sitting up and holding his own arms. 

"Don't act like you're not gonna see him again. Come on, Mark's gonna be here soon and we're gonna get this all sorted out, all right? I promise." Dan smiles a bit as Arin leans forwards and Ives him a big hug. Dan can't help but melt into Arin's soft cuddly body. It's like he was made for snuggling. As Dan nuzzles into Arin's neck, Ross knocks on the doorframe. 

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." he says, his usual cocky grin absent from his smug face. 

"No." Dan says, perhaps too quickly. "IS Mark here?" Dan asks, hope returning to his eyes as Ross nods.

-

"Okay, Mark, do you want to propose your plan to Dan or should I?" Dan is sitting in the couch in the Grump Space, Arin and Mark sitting across from him. Jack and Ross are leaning on the couch behind Mark, listening in on their conversation. Mark had apparently explained everything to Jack on the drive over, not that anyone blamed him. They all knew Mark hated keeping secrets from Jack, and who could lie to that pup?

"I guess I'll do it." Mark mutters, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Arin can tell he's nervous, not only by the way he's constantly shifting in his seat but also by the way his many extra eyes are flitting around wildly, focusing on almost a million things at once. "So, I can get into hell, that's the easy part. Locating Brian and leaving with him is what could prove difficult. Hell is... well, it's constantly changing. If I open a portal here, it could theoretically damage this world. It could also close while we're inside, which would mean I would have to open one from within hell which could drop us anywhere, but that probably won't happen... uh... once we find Brian, we not only have to be able to locate our previous portal or create a new one, but we have to escape without being caught by the other demons. This might not be that hard, as they won't see me as a threat, but once we have Brian, well..."

"Okay, hold on, you keep saying 'we.' What do you mean by 'we?'"

"Me and Arin-"

"No." Dan interrupts. 

"Dan-" Arin starts, but Dan stops him. 

"I can do this, Arin. I'm not a kid, I'm 36. I think I can handle a quick trip to hell and back. I survived a fucking shark attack, you don't think I can do this? I don't need you leading me around like I'm some useless thing. I can fight for myself." he snaps. Mark leans back into the couch, deciding to stay out of this fight.

"You're right." Arin nods. 

"What?"

"You're not a kid. You don't need me to escort you places and you don't need me or even Brian to protect you, but that's not why you're staying here." 

"What do you mean that's not why?"

"Don't you remember what I told you earlier about Brian calling you a scrawny piece of sushi? He doesn't want you to get hurt!" Ross urges, still leaning nonchalantly on the couch. 

"This isn't what Brian would want." Arin adds. "Brian would want you to stay safe, even if it meant leaving him in hell."

"How do you know what Brian would want?! I don't think he'd want to leave me alone, either!" Dan shouts. "If he thinks I can't handle myself without him, then he's wrong."

"I'm sure he believes in you, but there are so many things that could go wrong, do you really think he wants all those years he spent with you to go to waste because he fucked up once?" Ross asks, making Dan think. 

"And you aren't alone, Dan. You've got us." Arin adds, sounding a bit hurt. Dan sinks slowly back into the couch, a deep frown plastered on his face. He sighs, a slow and heavy sigh. 

"I guess... I guess I should stay here, then... for Brian. He does deserve it, after all... but I'm watching over the portal." he says, sitting up quickly. "And don't think I'm not going to miss you, you furry piece of shit." Dan grumbles, playfully punching Arin's arm. Arin chuckles before looking over at Mark. 

"I wouldn't want it any other way." he winks. "I guess we should leave now?" he asks, looking over to Mark. 

"It's better to get this over with quickly." Mark nods. "The longer Brian's down there the harder it will be to get him out."

"Then let's do it." Arin stands up, stretching and shaking himself off, trying to hide his nervousness from Dan. Dan stands up, too, mentally preparing himself. It'll be weird not having Arin or Brian around. He can only hope it won't take too long. 

"How long will you guys be down there?" Dan suddenly asks as they walk towards a closet in the back room. It's the only place Arin can think of where a portal to hell could be 'out of the way.'

"A few hours at the most. If we take any longer, don't be afraid to come in and get us." Mark chuckles dryly as he says it, but it's more of a sad kind of chuckle. One that someone walking to their death might give. 

They open the closet door and Mark walks in, kneeling down to the ground and placing a single hand on the floor. His hand slowly starts to melt into the floor, becoming a shadow as he closes his eyes and begins muttering something. 

A few months ago, Mark probably wouldn't have been able to this. A few months ago, Jack wasn't living with him and he had little to no control over his powers. In fact, he used to be a mess, barely able to keep a human form for more than a few minutes, but since Jack moved in they'd been working on it, and Mark's really gotten a hang of using his powers. 

Dan is almost entranced by the weird ritual going on, and hardly notices the massive portal suddenly opening because he's so taken aback by what Mark's doing. Arin grabs his arm and pulls him back from the edge of the hole in the ground, which Dan's feet had been dangerously close to. 

"Don't fall in while we're gone." Arin jokes and Dan blushes, giving Arin an embarrassed smile. 

"You ready?" Mark asks Arin, who just shakes his head. 

"Let me say my last goodbyes?" Arin jokes and Dan frowns. 

"Don't say that you loser." Arin turns to face Dan and puts a hand on his shoulder. 

"Seriously, Dan. We both know I might not make it out of this. It's a possibility that we've just got to accept, but I'm doing this for you. And don't try to talk me out of it now, I can see it in your eyes you're considering it. Don't. I promise I'll bring him back, though."

"Please, just, be safe." Dan says. "And Mark, make sure he doesn't pulls my stupid stunts that get him killed down there."

"Don't worry, Dan, I'll hold his hand the whole way." Mark jokes and Dan shakes his head. 

"Don't miss me too much." Arin smiles. He stands there for another second, his eyes just grazing across Dan's face before he finally makes a decision. "Smell ya later!" he shouts, planting a kiss on Dan's cheek before backflipping face first into the hole behind him. Mark groans and jumps in after him. Dan's face grows bright red as he raises a hand up to his cheek, his eyes wide as he stares at the hole in front of him. 

"Do you want me to help you watch over the, uh, portal?" Ross asks. Dan snaps out of his trance and looks back at Ross and Jack, who he had completely forgot we're there. 

"No, uh, I'm good. I've got it covered." Dan nods. 

"Alright, if you need anything just shout. We can't have any horrifying demons escaping into the mortal world now can we?" Ross laughs jokingly before walking away, sending a chill up Dan's spine. 

"They'll be back before you know it, Dan." Jack adds before following after Ross. Dan's hand is still pressed against his cheek, keeping the kiss Arin gave him safe until he returns.

-

It's been twenty minutes since the two disappeared into the giant hole in the closet and there hasn't been a single attempt at an escape from the hell hole. A shame, really, Dan was hoping this might be exciting. Instead, it's boring and he's filled with anxiety as he desperately awaits the return of his three friends. He almost wishes something wild attack him so he could distract himself from his own thoughts.

To top if off, he's tired beyond belief and he can't even sleep now. If he does, a demon could get out. He could go tell Ross to watch the portal, but he told Arin he'd do it and he can't go back on that now. Besides, if he suddenly came out and asked Ross to take over, Ross would probably make fun of him. 

So, instead, he sits on a chair just outside the closet door, staring at the dark red dirt inside the portal that has a faint orange light leaking out from it. He sighs in boredom, his eyes drooping as he leans on his hand. His eyes close for just a minute and his head slips from his hand, jerking his neck forward and snapping him back awake. 

"Ah, fuck." he mutters, sinking back into his uncomfortable chair. A shiver runs up his legs and a chill runs down his spine. Was it that cold in here earlier?

A sudden black mass lunges at him from out of nowhere, causing his chair to tip over and him to topple backwards into the floor, his head making contact with the hardwood. He grunts as his head slams back, the dark thing suddenly on top of his chest. It looks like a shadow and is almost human in shape, but it seems to not have one designated shape, as it's constantly shifting. It reaches out and Dan blocks his face, shouting for Ross who doesn't seem to be anywhere around.

The shadow suddenly forces a hand down Dan's throat, slowly morphing into a long snake-like thing and working its way into Dan's body. Dan can feel himself being pulled away from his own mind as the thing coils up inside of him, taking over everything. Ross charges around the corner just as Dan loses all control, being forced back into some dark place in the recesses of his mind. 

A sharp pain slams into his chest and knocks the breath out of his lungs. He blinks a few times and the light has returned, he once again has control of his body, but he feels weird. Ross is standing over him with a... a sword? The sword is long and glowing, and hovering just above Dan's chest. 

"What the fuck...." Dan mutters, watching as a small silvery cut in his chest vanishes. Ross tosses the sword up into the air and it vanishes as well. Ross holds out a hand and helps Dan up off of the ground. 

"How do you feel?" he asks.

"I feel gross... I don't know... what was that sword?"

"A demon just crawled inside you and tried to make you its living puppet, so it's natural to feel weird." Ross explains, receiving a shocked look from Dan. "The sword was a magical ability I possess, strictly for dealing with demons. It's not important. Go wait out there with Jack. I've got this covered." Dan furrows his brow, staring at Ross who isn't looking at him. He's staring at the portal with a weird look on his face. "Unless, of course, you want that thing inside you again." Dan shakes his head aggressively and turns away from Ross, walking briskly out of the room.

He finds Jack standing just outside the door to the back room, a concerned look on his face. 

"Are you okay?" he asks, his ears plaited against his head in concern. 

"Uh, yeah. Ross saved me. A demon must have snuck out. Guess you shouldn't really guard a portal to hell after two days with no sleep." Dan shrugs with a tired laugh. He trudges past Jack and collapses onto the floor.

-

Arin opens his eyes and found himself laying on the ground, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness around him. It takes him a minute to remember what's going on, but once he does, he pushes himself up off the ground and attempts to look around. It's darker than Arin's ever seen, or not seen. He can't make out anything around him. 

"Mark?" he calls, turning his head around. There's something lurking just outside his field of view, managing to avoid his gaze anytime he looks towards it, or maybe there's nothing there and he's just being paranoid. It seems as though Mark is nowhere around, which only scares Arin more. As his eyes begin to adjust, he realizes he's in a small room with seemingly no way in or out. He can now see the walls surrounding him, and the ceiling is rather low. In fact, Arin reaches up and presses his hand against the ceiling rather close to his head. He feels around, trying to find an exit. Wherever this is, whatever depth of hell he's in, he needs to find Mark.

He moves towards the wall farthest from him and sees the shape moving in the corner of his vision again. He turns quickly and spots it before it vanishes into the shadows again. So whatever it is is really there, it's just avoiding being looked at. 

"Who are you?" Arin tries. There's a quiet and dark chuckle from, well, everywhere. "Come on, don't fucking play with me like this. If you're going to kill me, fucking do it, but don't be a coward about it." Arin says flatly. The shadow forms from the ground into the shape of a human. "Mark?!" 

"Yes..." Mark says slowly, as if trying to decide whether he is Mark or not. Arin is suspicious of his strange behavior, but doesn't say anything.

"What the fuck are you doing? What's going on here?" 

"I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do." Mark says eerily, looming closer to Arin. Arin takes a step back from Mark and feels his back press against the wall. Mark steps even closer, a creepy smile spreading across his face. It doesn't take long for Arin to realize that this isn't Mark. The gash on his neck is missing, and the extra eyes are sealed too tightly. 

"You're not Mark."

"And you're not going to be living for much longer." the Mark look-alike growls, his one hand latching onto Arin's throat and his other hand resting on Arin's chest. The fake Mark moves his hand into Arin's chest and an excruciating searing pain ripples through his body. He cries out, moving his own hand to grasp Mark's in his chest. The hand on his throat keeping him pinned to the wall, but not enough to cut off his air. A devious smile spreads across his face as his hand grasps Arin's heart. 

"Arin, move back!" a voice shouts. Arin does as he's told, moving his head back against the wall as a sudden dark figure passes between the two of them, tackling the fake Mark to the ground. Arin gasps as the demon's grip on his heart suddenly vanishes. He slides down to the ground, watching in horror as the two shadowy figures morph and change in what seems to be a wrestling match, but it's hard to tell anything apart. The occasional flashes of blue and pink, what Arin can only assume to be Mark's hair, catches his eye, but beyond that it's just a blur of black. When finally one Mark stands over the other, triumphant, Arin is uncertain whether to be happy or terrified until he sees the gash on Mark's neck, dripping with something Arin didn't want to ask about. 

Mark, the real one, walks over and slowly helps Arin to his feet, double checking everything on Arin's body to make sure he's okay.

"Did he take your soul?" Mark asks frantically. Arin's brows furrow together. 

"Did he... I don't think so." Arin shakes his head, now examining himself to make sure there's nothing wrong with him. He feels normal other than a faint pain in his chest.

"Good. We need to get out of here, now." Mark says. Arin's about to make a point of there being no exit, but he suddenly spots a glowing hole in the wall behind Mark that he could swear wasn't there a few seconds ago. Arin nods, but the peace only lasts for a second before the fake Mark is back on it's feet and tackling Mark to the ground. 

"Shit, Arin, run!" the real Mark shouts. Arin doesn't hesitate and does as he's told, scrambling towards the gap and charging straight into the light. He finds himself on a narrow path, massive chasms on either side of him, but that doesn't slow him down. He runs along the path, careful not to fall, towards an unknown destination.

"What the fuck was that?" he whispers to himself, charging down the path. He glances behind him to see the dark figure gaining quickly on him. His next step suddenly finds no surface beneath it and as he turns his head, it's too late to correct himself. His momentum sends him flying straight off the edge of a massive cliff and into the unknown chasm below.

Arin can't stop himself. He screams as he falls to his almost certain death, the scream turning into a roar about halfway through. He spirals through the air like an almost graceful dancer, and as the darkness surrounds him he can hear mumbles and whispers of the damned souls dwelling down here. His left arm bounces off something hard and he yelps, pulling his arm back against him and regretting the sudden movement. He's almost certain it's broken, although that's the least of his worries now as he continues to plummet into uncertainty.

From somewhere above, he can hear Mark shouting for him. Whether it's meant to be the ominous call of the fake Mark or the concerned shouts of the real Mark, Arin can't tell anymore. His descent is stopped abruptly, but not by the hard ground. Instead, someone's arms are around him and he's being pulled back up to the cliff he had fallen from. He can't tell who it is carrying him, and he can't decide whether or not he should scream or struggle. 

He is gently placed on his feet in front of Mark, his injured arm gently moved down to his side. It's the real Mark, much to Arin's relief. His eyes suddenly lock with the brilliant blues of his rescuer and a sick feeling washes over him. Towering over both him and Mark is Brian, a dark demonic figure with glowing blue eyes and massive black wings, a broken halo hovering sadly over his head. 

"Shit, dude."

-

Dan suddenly sits up, slamming his head against Barry who is leaning over him. Barry yelps and stumbles back, holding a hand against his head. Dan holds his head as well and groans.

"Fuck... sorry, B. What, uh... what happened?"

"You passed out. If I had to guess I'd say it's because you haven't slept in two days."

"Exhaustion... yeah... uh... how long was I out?"

"Two hours. I was starting to worry you weren't gonna wake up. I was keeping you hydrated, uh, I don't know a ton about sirens but I figured you should probably have some water even if you're passed out."

"Yeah, thanks, uh, you said it's been two hours?" Barry nods and Dan bites the insides of his cheeks, a strong feeling bubbling up in his chest. "And they're not back...?" Dan asks. Barry solemnly shakes his head and Jack gives Dan a small smile.

"They'll come back. I can feel it." he says, sitting down beside Dan. Having Jack near him makes him feel a bit better, but he can't help but wonder what's taking them so long.

-

Before Arin or Mark can question him, Brian vanishes. Literally. Not disappearing into the shadows, or jumping off the cliff, he just disintegrates before their very eyes.

"Was that-"

"Yes." Mark nods.

"Where did he-"

"I don't know. I'd say follow him, but if he just disappeared like that, odds are he left no trace."

"Then what do we do?" Arin asks, looking around.

"We wander to find him." Mark says with a nod. With that, they begin walking back along the path behind them, which seems to have changed. Arin can't seem to spot the entrance to the stone room he had been locked in earlier, instead the path seems to extend for an impossibly long time.

"Man, I thought hell was gonna be dark and creepy, but this place isn't so bad." Arin says as they walk along. He glances down over the edge of the path. "Other than that weird room we were in to start."

"I'm not sure what that was." Mark mutters. "But hell's not all like this. I happened to land us in the safest part of hell. Not that it's safe here, just... safer..."

"Safer than what?"

"The living aren't exactly supposed to be able to enter hell, which is why I guess you were separated from me at first. That room was kind of like a holding cell, perhaps? I'm not really sure. Anyways, There are certain places that even I am restricted to go. If I weren't with you now, you'd be dead in a minute, that demon back there would have killed you for sure. The only thing keeping these things at bay is me." Mark says, kicking the hand of a soul trying to clamber from the void below, desperately grasping onto the ground beside him. "I'm not really a demon, I'm something close to it, but different. It's, uh, complicated."

"So they fear you?" Arin asks, glancing over the edge. "They don't look too bad." he mumbles. "Not that I'd really want to meet them." As he says this one of the souls grabs his ankle. It's hand phases through his skin but grabs ahold of something. Arin's mind immediately flashes back to the fake Mark reaching through his chest and panics for a second before Mark steps on the wrist of the soul and causes it to retreat.

"What the fuck was that?" Arin asks, examining his ankle. 

"Don't let them grab you." Mark growls cryptically, proceeding forwards down the narrow path towards a massive cliff face. There don't appear to be any physical wounds on his ankle, similar to his chest, so he shrugs and keeps walking. 

"Where is Brian gonna be?" he asks, casting a wayward glance to the cliffs in the far distance. 

"He should be at the end of his pathway." Mark nods. "If my tracking skills are as good as they once were."

"Should be?"

"I haven't been to hell is years, man. I don't know if they've changed where they keep shit. I'm just praying he's here, because if he isn't we're leaving without him." Arin stops walking and looks back at Mark who's hardly paying attention to where he's going. He's looking around with concern clearly held in his eyes. 

"We can't leave without Brian."

"It's already bad enough that I've brought you here, the longer you're here, the more dangerous it's gonna get. You've already almost died twice in the course of, like, twenty minutes. That, and your arm's broken, you won't be much use if we have to fight our way out."

"I promised Dan I'd bring Brian back."

"And I promised Dan I'd bring you back. I'm not letting him lose two people." Arin sighs and starts walking again, continuing down the path. 

"You know, he's not gonna be happy if we don't bring back Brian." Arin says, glancing back at Mark. Mark's eyes widen and he suddenly rushes forwards, grabbing Arin's shoulder and pulling him back. Arin halts and whips his head back around to see a massive drop in front of him. Almost a replay of earlier.

"What the fuck? Where's the path? It should be here!" Mark shouts, his voice echoing across the massive gap. Across the chasm is a path, seemingly the same one they were on now, just disconnected from the rest. 

"I guess it broke." Arin shrugs, wincing for a second as he momentarily forgets his broken arm.

"You don't get it, paths don't just break in hell. In order for this to happen there would have-" A low rumble echoes through the cavernous depths below them. The ground shakes and a few rocks fall from beneath Arin's feet. He takes a quick step back away from the edge and looks around. 

"What. Was. That?" Arin asks, his eyes wide in pure terror. 

"We need to go. This was a mistake." Mark says, shaking his head.

"No, we have to find Brian." Arin says sternly, keeping his feet planted. "As much as I want to get the fuck away from that, we can't just leave him here."

"You don't understand."

"Then explain it to me! I won't ever understand if you don't! What is that rumbling, and why do we suddenly need to leave?" Mark opens his mouth, whether it's to explain or argue neither are really sure, but he's stopped by another rumble.

"We're leaving." Mark finalizes, firmly grabbing Arin's good arm and beginning to pull him away. "Now."

"But Brian's here! We saw him! We were so close!" Arin protests, pulling his arm out of Mark's grasp. "We can't just give up!"

"It's too late for him, Arin. I thought maybe it wouldn't happen so quickly, but I was wrong. When and angel goes to hell, it's not the same as when a human goes to hell."

"But he's here. We have to save him, Mark, we can't just leave him here to rot!"

"You saw what he looked like! Maybe he still looked like Brian to you, but that's because that's what you wanted to see. What I saw was nothing more than a feral beast. The Brian you knew is gone, and we need to be gone, too, before he comes back for us, and not to save your sorry ass." 

"No." Arin says stubbornly. He'd cross his arms if one weren't broken. Mark's no longer angry, but about ready to fall to his knees to plead with Arin. 

"Please, Arin. Stop being a child and let's go."

"I'm fulfilling my promise to Dan." he says, turning back around to walk back towards the end of the path. Mark frowns. His options are limited. He's not stronger than Arin, so there's no way he'd be carrying him out of here. 

"So am I." Mark says quietly. Arin turns his head and watches as Mark shifts into a dark black shape, like the souls surrounding them, and darts forwards at a terrifying speed, snaking into Arin's mouth before he can even scream. Everything goes dark for Arin as he is pushed from his own mind into some dark recess of his brain and Mark takes over. 

There is no hesitation as Mark begins running. He can already feel his lack of practice getting the better of both him and Arin. He needs to get to the portal before anything too drastic happens. The fur on Arin's body is already starting to turn a sickly pale green color as his flesh almost rots away. The fur in his tail is falling out as Mark runs, faster than he ever knew anyone could run. It must be a tiger thing. His arm is burning, but there's no point in acknowledging the pain. He knows Arin can feel it as well, but there's nothing he can do about it now.

He reaches the portal and lunges through, clawing his way out of the pit in the closet with only one arm. A hand grabs his arm and pulls him out. He lands in his back and sees Ross staring expectantly at him before glancing back over to the pit in the floor. Footsteps are suddenly flooding the room as everyone rushes in. 

"Arin? What the fuck happened to you? Why is your arm bent that way? Where's Mark?" the barrage of questions flood him, coming from everyone.

"It's me, Mark..." he coughs. "I had to possess him to get out of danger but... shit, I can't get out of here. I haven't done this in so long and it's like something's pulling me back in. I think Arin might be doing it unintentionally. I need to get out of here before I permanently damage Arin." 

"Well how do we get you out?" Barry asks. 

"Someone has to go in and do it." Mark says, managing to push himself into a sitting position. Everyone exchanges confused glances, none of them certain what exactly that entails. 

"I'll do it." Dan suddenly offers. Mark nods and Dan crouches down beside him. 

"Alright what do I have to do?" he asks. 

"Just sit down, you're not gonna want to be standing." he says. Dan sits down cross-legged. 

"Okay, now wha-" Mark's hand is suddenly over his mouth as he closes his eyes. 

"I'm sorry, this will be over quickly." Dan's surprise is quickly washed away as his face goes blank and he slumps to the floor. 

-

It's dark when Dan wakes up. Pitch black, actually, not a thing in sight. Dan stands up and looks around, or, moves his head in directions hoping for some sign of something. He immediately begins looking for Arin, calling out for him a few times but with no luck. 

As he wanders he stumbles across a small boy huddled in a ball on the ground. He slowly approaches the boy, cautiously looking him over. It doesn't take him long to realize it's Arin, the tails and the ears giving it away. The kid in front of him looks maybe six or seven. 

"Arin...?" Dan says quietly. His voice doesn't sound quite right, but he can't seem to figure out why. The kid looks up at him, his face bright red and his cheeks wet from crying. He squeaks in fear and scampers away from Dan in a very cat-like manner, defensively curling up at a safe distance from Dan. 

Dan instinctively drops to all fours, slowly crawling towards Arin in an attempt to keep him from panicking anymore. 

"Hey, buddy, I'm not gonna hurt ya." Dan smiles gently. Tears start to form in the corners of Arin's eyes again as he looks at Dan. "What's wrong, little cat? Are you scared?" 

"I- I can't remember anything." he says quietly with a sniffle. 

"Do you remember your name?" Dan asks. Arin shakes his head and Dan frowns a bit. 

"Okay, well, your name is Arin, and my name's Dan. You're my best friend. I'm 36 and we're in a band together."

"You're not 36. You look like you're 13." Dan glances down at himself as best as he can, confused a bit, but he just giggles. 

"Right, 13, that's what I meant." Arin smiles a little bit at Dan's laugh. "You look sad, do you need a hug?" Dan asks. Almost as soon as the words escape Dan's mouth, Arin runs over into his arms, falling into his chest. Dan gently rubs his back as they hug, his shirt becoming damp with Arin's tears. 

"I remember who I am. Kind of. I remember my mom, and my dad, and my brother... and..." he gets quiet for a second. "I remember school and how everyone always called me soft and fluffy but I didn't want to be soft and fluffy, I wanted to be fierce like a real tiger."

"You're pretty scary, if you ask me." Dan whispers soothingly and he can feel a small laugh shake Arin's body. 

"I... remember... Suzy... and Jon, and Game Grumps and... and I remember Barry and Ross and Holly and Kevin and Mark and Jack and... and..." 

"Do you remember me?" Arin shakes his head. 

"No, but... I just remember their names. I don't remember what they look like or who they are, even."

"I'm sure you'll remember in due time." Arin lets go of Dan and takes a step back, squaring him up. His face is no longer bright red from crying. He wipes away the last tear from his face and smiles at Dan. 

"I'm not scared anymore, Dan. I... I think I'll remember who these people are. And, hopefully, I'll remember who you are." A mischievous little smile crosses his face and he suddenly lunges at Dan, tackling him to the ground. "Until then, I'm gonna wrestle you! I'm gonna en the fiercest tiger ever!" he shouts and Dan can't help but laugh as Arin holds onto his arms. Despite being lanky, Dan does have some muscle. He manages to pry his arms off the ground and flip Arin over, pinning him to the ground.

"Looks like Danny wins." he says, but Arin apparently doesn't get the joke. 

"Hey, that's not fair, you're older!" he frowns as Dan stands up. 

"You're still the fiercest tiger around." Dan smirks. 

"Good." Arin smiles, proudly placing his hands on his hips. A voice suddenly rumbles through the blackness. It's Mark. 

"I can go now. Wake up, Dan." he says. Dan looks around, not really sure what to do to wake up. He turns away from Arin and starts walking, the ground beneath his feet beginning to crack, pink light glowing through the cracks. 

"Wait, where are you going?" Arin asks frantically. 

"Sorry, little cat, but I'm leaving. I can't stay here."

"What? No! Don't leave me all alone! Dan, I don't want to be alone again! I want to remember. I don't think I can remember without you!" Dan freezes as Arin runs up and grabs his hand. He turns around and kneels down, putting his hands on Arin's shoulders.

"I'll be back. I promise. You'll see me again. You have to stay strong for me." 

"Okay." Arin sniffles, tears still streaming down his face. Dan nods and stands up, turning away from Arin again, the ground proceeding to crack as he walks. He can hear the quiet whimpers and whines of the poor child behind him and only prays that Arin will be okay. 

The farther the walks, the lighter he begins to feel. His body feels as though the gravity is lessening and he feels like he's about to float away. His vision goes black for a second and when he opens his eyes, he's laying on the floor. Arin's hand moves from his mouth as Mark slides out of Arin. Dan feels disgusting, and a few of his scales have fallen off, but Arin is in much worse condition and goes limp the second Mark is out of him. 

In an instant, Barry is helping Dan carry Arin out to the main room in the Grump Space. Despite Dan's less-than-perfect condition, he insists on trying to carry Arin on his own. Barry helps anyways, afraid Dan will hurt one of them accidentally. Ross is following them closely, Holly hot on his tail with the proper materials to get Arin's arm in a splint.

"I really didn't mean for this to happen." Mark says quietly. "He was being stubborn, and he was gonna get himself killed and... I'm sorry, Dan, we couldn't find Brian." Dan smiles softly. 

"You brought him back in one piece, and that's enough for me." he says, kneeling down beside Arin's head. "We should probably take him home. Suzy doesn't even know what happened." Dan mutters. Holly's already gone to work on Arin's arm, being very careful not to hurt him any more.

"Let him wake up first. I need to know he's okay." Mark says quietly, staring at Arin, willing him to wake up. It's almost as if he hears Mark as his eyes flutter open and his blinks around a bit. 

"Arin! Oh my god, how do you feel?" Dan asks, Arin's paw clenched tightly in Dan's hand. 

"I feel like I got hit by a fucking train and then thrown off a cliff." he says with a frown. Dan can't help but laugh, mostly because he's relieved to hear Arin's voice again. He hugs Arin tightly, and Arin winces at the pain in his arm, but returns the one-armed hug. It's only fair, after all. 

"I was so scared you weren't coming back." Dan whispers, a few aslty tears staining Arin's fur.

"Hey, I promised you I'd come back, and I did. Just like you came back." Arin says. Dan shifts back so he can see Arin's dopey smile. 

"You remember that?"

"Yeah. You must have been pretty good with kids, dude." Arin chuckles as Dan rubs the tears from his eyes. He feels like a complete loser for crying like this, but he really was terrified. "Listen, I'm sorry about Brian." Arin suddenly shifts the topic. 

"It's fine. I... I shouldn't have made you go. I should have known you wouldn't be able to get him out. I just..." Dan sighs.

From the shadows in the corner, a noise is made, inaudible to all but Mark who turns his head to see none other than Brian, leaning against the wall. He look is sad, but when he makes eye contact with Mark, he vanishes into the shadows and out into the world. Mark opens his mouth to mention it to everyone, but as he looks over he sees they're all completely distracted by each other. 

"What's wrong, Mark?" Jack asks, looking over at the wall Mark had just been staring at. 

"Nothing, just my imagination." Mark says quietly. 

"So how are ya feeling?"

"To be perfectly honest, I feel good. Better than I have in a long time, and I don't know if this feeling should scare me or not." he says. Jack suddenly gives him a big bear hug (or maybe a dog hug?) and Mark can't help but melt into his arms. Not literally, although that has happened before, but this time Mark keeps it together. 

"I was starting to doubt you'd come back." Jack says as he pulls away slowly. 

"Oh, I'd always come back for you, you big dorky pup. I could never abandon you like that." Jack smiles and gives Mark another quick hug before returning to the group. Mark can't help but feel happy. Almost everything's good now, except for Brian. Mark's eyes widen as he realizes how Brian got out. He quickly excuses himself from the room and ducks back into the closet, quickly closing the portal. In his panicked state he had completely forgotten. Everyone had, and now Brian is lose in the world. He can only fear what he might be planning. 

Instead of returning to the group, he slips out, tossing Jack his car keys and making some silly excuse about what he has to go do and to not wait up for him. Jack is concerned but let's him go. The others don't even notice his absence. 

-

"I need to get back to Dan." Brian mutters as he walks down the street. He's in his best attempt at a human form, although there are definitely some errors, so he's covered himself entirely in black, exposing only his deep crimson-colored eyes. 

No one seems to question him, his attire, his constant mumbling to himself, no one seems to care. "I need to become an angel again, I need to figure out how, I need to get back to Dan. I can't just leave him like this, why didn't I tell him? Why didn't I say something? I should have known his would happen!" he cries, having a quite heated internal conflict, but while shouting all his inner thoughts to the world. 

"Who to go to, though? Who could know? Who can I trust?" he looks around. Any sensible angel would stay as far away from a demon as possible. Probably why Ross hates Feathers so much. Brian hadn't even known that Feathers was a demon until Arin accidentally let it slip. It only made Brian want to stay farther away from Ross' house if he could. As much as he loves Ross, he is cautious of Holly. It's not often one finds a harpy as loving as her. 

"I need to find an angel I can trust, one that will understand, one that will know what to do." Brian mutters. "But who? Who will know? Who has done this before?" he ducks into a back alleyway and prepares to disappear into the shadows. 

"Brian! Stop!" Brian turns around. He locks eyes with Mark, and although his instinct is to run, he doesn't. He shifts his face into a smirk, which is hidden by his mask, and crosses his arms as Mark approaches him. 

"What is it, Markimoo?" Brian mocks. 

"Don't give me that shit. I don't know what you're planning, but you can't be here."

"So you don't want me to return to Dan? That's all I'm doing. Finding a way to get back to him, in my angel form."

"That's not possible." Mark shakes his head. 

"I know a guy."

"You can't redeem yourself from this, Brian. Look, I don't know what you did to lose your wings, but there's only one way to fix it." Brian's eyes light up at these words. 

"So you know how to fix me?" Brian asks. Mark shakes his head, partially as a no, partially as a regret that he said anything. 

"No."

"I think you're lying."

"I think you need to shut your fucking face. I'm not helping you Brian."

"Not even for Dan?" Mark bites his lip. He hates to see Dan upset, everyone does. When Dan's not his usual bubbly self, no one is really happy. 

"If I do this, you have to know it is only for Dan."

"So you're saying that you'll help me?"

"I don't know."

"Would you make up your mind?!" Brian suddenly shouted, moving to Mark's side and slamming him back against the wall. Mark vanishes from Brian's grasp and reappears behind him, picking Brian up by his neck and removing him from any shadows that he could escape through. 

"If you threaten me, you should know that I will not help you. There will be nothing but rotting deep in the pits of hell for you."

"Put me down." Brian growls, his voice low and guttural. Mark tosses him on the ground, his eyes angry and glaring at Brian. For the first time in a long time, Brian fears Mark. He had never seen Mark this way, this angry. Mark tended to remain calm, but this was a whole new side. A whole new terrifying side. Having Mark tower over him is another new experience, just as terrifying as having him angry. 

As if knowing that this abomination was angry with him isn't enough, Mark's human form is starting to falter. His eyes start to appear, the extra ones, and the gash on his throat begins to smile. A shiver runs across Brian's skin as he scrambles to his feet. Towering over Mark makes him feel a bit better. 

"Are you going to cooperate?" Brian asks, and Mark's eyes, all of them, only narrow more. "Fine. Listen, I'm sorry, but I need help. I can't leave Dan alone. If I could sympathize right now, I would, but being a demon is a strange experience and the only emotions I feel are hate and regret."

"I understand that, but that doesn't mean you have to be a dick."

"Shut up and help me." Brian says, his voice almost sounding as though he's pleading.

"If you want to get your wings back, you're going to need a damned soul. Not one from hell, one on earth. Any soul will do, but you'll have to obtain it and take it to heaven."

"I have to kill someone to gain my wings?"

"It's stupid. Don't ask me, I didn't make the rules, but that what you have to do. I'd recommend going to a hospital, choose an already dying patient. I don't know if there will be any damned souls there, but you can certainly try. You can tell them apart, the damned ones. Usually, to you at least, they'll appear as though they're rotting. Like zombies, I suppose. You have to want to see what they're truly like, though, so you can't just expect to find a zombie shambling along." Brian nodded slowly. 

"How do you know all this?" Brian asks. 

"I know a guy." Mark smirks, giving the same cryptic answer Brian had given earlier. Mark suddenly sinks back into the shadows and slips away, leaving Brian alone in the alleyway. He was left with but little goodbye and now had to find a damned soul to bring to heaven. 

-

2 Weeks Later

Dan knocks on the door in front of him which is slowly opened by an exhausted looking Arin. 

"What is it, dude?" he asks. His arm is no longer in any sort of cast. The bone healed surprisingly fast, not that anyone really knows how fast the bone was supposed to heal. 

"It's your birthday." Dan says with a big dorky grin on his face. 

"So?"

"So, we're gonna celebrate. I'm taking you and everyone else to the beach for a picnic and an all around good time." he explains. A small smile creeps across Arin's tired face. 

"I'm guessing everyone else already knows?" he asks. Almost as if on cue, Suzy walks up behind him in a bikini and jumps him, startling him. He shouts and turns around, scowling at her as she giggles.  

"Yep, everyone else knew." she says, still giggling. Dan smiles as Suzy shoves Arin back into the room and tells him to get his swim trunks on. She leans up against the doorframe and smiles at Dan. 

"It's really nice of you to do this." Suzy says. 

"After all that's been going down, I figured everyone needs a break from stress." Dan shrugs. 

"How are you doing?" Suzy asks, her eyes softening. 

"I've been worse." he nods. "I've finally gotten over it, I guess. I'm just glad Arin's okay. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to him, too."

"I'm glad, too." she says quietly. "So who all did you invite?" she asks, suddenly changing to subject. 

"Well... All of you guys, Holly, Mark, Jack, Jon and B-" he catches himself mid-word. 

"Got over it, huh?" Suzy says sadly. Dan shrugs. "So everyone's coming?"

"Yep, it's gonna be a big party." Arin walks back out with a towel draped over his bare shoulder. He looks a bit more awake than he did before. 

"You ready to go, babe?" Suzy asks. He nods and they eagerly hurry out to Dan's waiting car. 

"Aren't the beaches gonna be crowded?" Arin asks. "It's a pretty warm day for January."

"It's also a Wednesday morning and people have these crazy things called jobs. Besides, I happen to know the perfect spot to avoid people." Dan says with a sly smile as he drives off down the road. 

Dan finally parks near a dock and a beach that is completely empty. 

"How did you manage this?"

"Family friend owns the beach. Being a siren comes with some perks, dude." Dan shrugs, hopping out of the car. 

"So, where is everyone?" Suzy asks, looking around.

"You'll see." Dan hums, leading them down onto the beach. They walk along the sandy shore, the tide occasionally lapping their feet. Dan's wary of the water beside him and keeps his distance from the crashing waves as they walk. They pass under a large cliff that sticks out from the main land and as they round the corner, they spot everyone hanging on the beach setting up. 

Jon is carrying a large speaker over to a generator that Barry's setting up in order for them to have some music. Kevin's hanging out in the shade of a large umbrella, watching as Mark and Jack attempt to build a sand castle that keeps getting destroyed by the tide. Holly and Ross are setting up a proper picnic, complete with sandwiches, ice cream, and even a cake. Everyone stops what they're doing as Arin and Suzy walk up. 

"Happy birthday, Arin!" they all shout in semi-unison. Arin smiles from ear-to-ear, he's almost dumbfounded that his friends would do all this for him. 

"You planned all of this?" Arin asks. 

"Suzy helped me a bit-" Arin gives Dan a big hug and Dan blushes a bit before Arin rushes off to go greet everyone. 

Once the speaker is finally set up and some music starts playing, everyone heads out to the water, except for Dan and Kevin. Kevin hangs out under his umbrella, just happy to be a part of the celebration, and Dan is sitting up on the dock, watching everyone have fun. 

"Hey, Dan!" Arin shouts, swimming over to him. 

"What is it?"

"Think fast!" he shouts as he hurls a beach ball at Dan. It bounces off Dan's head and hits the water with a dull thud. Dan scowls at Arin before bursting into laughter.

"Guess you didn't think fast enough." Arin shrugs. 

"You're a piece of shit." Dan laughs. Arin shakes his head and swims away to rejoin the group. "Hey, wait, come here." Dan says. He scurries off the dock and onto the beach, sliding a bit on the sand. 

"What?" Arin asks as he wades through the water to Dan. 

"I almost forgot to give you your birthday present." Dan says with a dorky smile. "At least, this is part of your present." he says. Arin steps up onto the beach and walks over to Dan.

"What is it?" Dan grabs Arin's shoulders and pulls him over, kisses his neck. Arin's surprised at first as Dan's gently bites his neck and pulls away. 

"What was that?" Arin asks. Dan gestures to his bare chest and Arin glances down to see small slits in his skin. His eyes light up with fascination and Dan can't help but giggle at his expression. "Woah! I have gills now?" 

"For the day, yeah."

"Dude! This is awesome!" Arin says, hurrying up to the dock and running down to the end. Dan follows him and watches as he dives back into the water. He doesn't surface for a few minutes and when he comes up, his eyes are still full of the amazement they were on the beach. 

"This is insane, dude! I'm breathing through my lungs and my gills!" Arin shouts. "Why haven't you done this before?"

"I was saving it for the right time." Dan shrugs. 

"I can't believe this." Arin mutters in wonder. "I wish you'd join me." he sighs. 

"You know I would love to, but I can't. I'd just be scared the whole time and I don't think either one of us would have fun."

"Yeah. Well, I'm gonna go scare the shit out of everyone." Arin says excitedly, dipping back under the water and swimming away. Dan sits down on the edge of the dock, smiling as he watches Arin mess with everyone. He really does want to join them, but there's no way he'd be able to get in the water. 

There's too much lurking out there. 

In all honesty, he was hesitant to give Arin his gift. After all, having gills means he's gonna go deeper out into the ocean without anyone else, but he can see everything from where he is, and he's able to keep an eye on Arin. 

That is, until he can't find him. He stands up on the dock, a small panic starting to rise in his chest. He looks around, but doesn't see Arin anywhere. He can't even see any orange under the surface of the water. 

"Arin?" Dan shouts. Suzy glances up from her small game of volleyball with Holly and frowns. She swims over to the dock and looks up at Dan. 

"What's wrong?"

"Where's Arin?" Dan asks. 

"I don't know. He's been doing a lot underwater since you have him those gills. He's really excited."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't see him anymore."

"You're just paranoid, Dan. I'm sure he's fine. He's an adult, and he can handle himself." 

"You're right. Just paranoid." he says, still frowning at the water. "Go back to your game."

"You sure?" Suzy asks. He nods and waves her away. She leaves hesitantly, keeping a wary eye on him. Her tied-back snakes seem just as nervous as Dan, expressing the nerves she's trying to hide from him. 

"Fuck, Arin, you'd better not be pranking me or I swear to god, I'm never giving you this gift again." Dan grumbles, still looking out over the ocean. For a second, he recounts his last time in the ocean. It's all he can ever think of when he's at the beach. Normally, he'd have Brian by his side now, but without him here, his nerves are skyrocketing

"Arin, come on." he mutters. 

"It still scares you, doesn't it?" a melodic voice echoes across the water. Dan looks around for the owner of the voice, then he looks at everyone in the water. None of them seem to have heard the voice. "Not knowing what's out there, lurking in the depths?" Dan whips around frantically. That voice is almost familiar, and at the same time completely foreign. It terrifies him. "Do not fret child, you have given me exactly what I require." the voice whispers. 

"Ah, fuck! Dan!" Arin screams. Dan turns back around looking across the water. 

"Arin..?!" Dan calls back, looking around. Everyone's attention was drawn from the party when they heard Arin shouting. Everyone is now staring at Dan. "Arin, if this is a prank, it's not funny anymore!" he looks around more, his eyes wide with panic. "Arin!" 

Still no response.

"Come on, Dan, fucking move." he growls, clenching his fists at his sides. He gasps as his gills pop and his lungs begin to disappear, his decorative fins bursting from his shoulders and elbows. He jumps forward, the pang of fear in his chest no longer the fear of sharks, instead the fear of losing his best friend. As his hands hit the water, his legs fuse together, becoming a long glistening tail that glows as he speeds through the water. A faint yellow glow shines in the distance as Dan proceeds towards it, faint red glowing near it. 

As he nears he sees his worst fear coming to life. A mershark is holding onto Arin's shoulder with one hand, a vial in her hand of a yellow something being the glow Dan had seen. Surrounding her, sharks, their eyes glowing a faint red from her control. 

As Dan draws even closer, he clenches his fist and a glowing trident appears in his hand. 

"Give him back." Dan mumbles, his eyes glowing a faint yellow as he clutches the trident in his hand. The mershark turns her head enough to see him, her eyes wide. 

"He followed us?!" she cries as Dan grabs Arin, pulling him away from her. "Fuck, no!"

"Give him back to me!" Dan shouts, moving Arin away from her and holding his trident in front of the both of them. The sharks surrounding him look angry, but he hardly noticed them. 

"I can't fight him on my own." she whispers. She moves her hand and the sharks begin to encircle Dan and Arin. Dan doesn't hesitate as his trident is launched through the water, embedding itself in the mershark's stomach. He gasps as the glowing blades drive themselves straight through her. The bottle containing the yellow substance leaves her hand and begins to float away. 

The sharks surrounding Dan lose the red glow to their eyes and scatter in an instant, frightened by him. 

The mershark's eyes glaze over and she stares emptily at Dan, but he ignores her gaze and casts her aside, swimming up to grab the bottle slowly drifting away. He takes it in his hand and returns to Arin. His eyes are lifeless and glassy, staring right past Dan. 

"Why? I don't understand. He didn't do anything wrong." Dan whispers. He takes Arin in his arms and begins swimming towards the shore. He surfaces and gains the attention of several people on the beach. Someone screams, whether it's because of Arin being lifeless in his arms or the way Dan looks, Dan is uncertain. 

He wouldn't blame them if it was because of him. It's been years since he's gotten this angry. His eyes which normally glow yellow are a faint red, several other features glowing a similar red, his teeth are longer and sharper than usual, and in his free hand is a bottle of yellow substance, glowing brighter than even his eyes. 

"Dan!" Suzy shouts as he swims closer. He pushes Arin into Suzy's arms and moves to the shore, collapsing on the beach as his tail shifts back into his legs and his gills close back up. He remains there on all four as the tide hits his feet, tears streaming down his face. Suzy pulls Arin up into the beach as Dan stares at the bottle in his hand. 

"What happened?" Dan looks up and Ross is standing over him. 

"I was too late. I was too scared and then I... he..." Dan's shaking as he holds the bottle up to Ross. "She took it. She took his soul, can you fix this?" Dan asks, looking up hopefully at Ross. 

"I don't know." Ross says quietly. "If Brian were here-"

"Brian's not here, Ross! That's the exact problem! Maybe if Brian were here, he would know what the fuck to do!" Dan shouts, quickly pushing himself up off the ground and storming away down the beach. Where to, he doesn't know. He is just walking away from his problems, he has to get away. He can't do this anymore. He can hear everyone calling for him as he storms away, his slow walks speeding up to a faster gait and finally breaking out into a run. He runs into a small crack between two of the cliff sides and finds himself in a massive cave, a large pool of water in the center of it. 

"Dan!" he can hear Barry calling for him. Then Ross and Mark. Everyone wants to know where he was, but he doesn't want to be found. He isn't going to be found. He sits down on a rock and pulls his legs up to him, tucking his face in between his knees. 

"I'm sorry. Arin, Brian... Everyone... I'm sorry. This is all my fault." he grumbles, tears still streaming down his face. 

From somewhere in the shadows Brian watches. He wonders why he doesn't feel anything. He should feel something, shouldn't he? He needs that soul, though. Whether it's Arin's or not, he needs to return to Dan. 

But so does Arin. 

It's a difficult choice, which one should stay and which one should go, but it's one Brian has to make.

Brian makes his decision and slithers through the shadows towards Dan, towards the bottle sitting on the ground beside Dan. He reaches a dark hand up from the shadows and grabs the bottle, pulling it into the shadows with him. Dan doesn't even notice the bottle is missing as Brian sneaks out of the cave. 

"I'm sorry, Dan." he whispers to himself as he leaves. Now, to figure out how to get this soul to heaven. 

As he sneaks from the cave, he hears voices coming from outside. He ducks back into the shadows as a groups walks past. He eyes the angel in the group, what's his name? 

Ross, that's what it is. Now's his chance to get the soul to heaven. He slithers forward towards Ross, who's lagging behind at the back of the groups. He suddenly lunges and slithers right into Ross' mouth. It takes him a minute to get adjusted to possessing someone, it's a far different experience than one might expect. He has troubling holding on, although he can't say he's too surprised. Possessing an angel certainly can't be something that every demon can do. Brain manages, though, knowing enough about Ross to do just the right thing to stop his struggling. 

One of the others turns around and Brian realizes his mistake. Mark is standing in front of him now, staring him down. 

"Mark? Ross? You guys okay?" the girl in the group asks. Brian can't remember her name, but he knows he should. 

"Yeah, go on without us, I need to talk with... Ross... We'll catch up." Mark says. 

"Okay..." she nods, walking off hesitantly with the others. 

"What are you doing?" Mark growls the minute the others leave.

"I'm getting my wings back. This is the only way." Mark glances down at Ross' hand which suddenly has the glowing bottle in it. 

"That's not yours."

"You're not stopping me." Brian's growls. He suddenly feels an intense pressure in his head as Ross attempts to push back into control, but Brian forces him back down. "You're the one who told me about this."

"I can tell Ross is fighting against you. You're going to cause some serious damage." Mark warns. "Don't think I won't stop you."

"You can't." Brian says, suddenly launching out his borrowed wings and bursting into the sky. From the beach, the people watching over Arin spot Ross flying up into the sky with confusion. 

Brian flies as far as he can, and once he breaches the cloud line, a bright light consumes him. The chances of him making it up here the whole way without trouble is very unlikely. 

He lands at the edge of the clouds, in a place he hasn't been in years, and uncorks the bottle. The yellow soul slowly leaks out of the bottle and forms the shape of a body. 

Arin now stands before him in a slightly spectral form, looking around in confusion. He turns to face Brian with a strange look on his face. 

"Ross? What's going on, where am I?"

"Heaven." 

A sudden rush comes over Brian and he is forced from Ross' head. He falls to the ground in a dark pile as light surrounds him. He stretches as his wings suddenly burst from his back, spreading into the air and giving a few restless flaps. The feathers shudder, a brilliant white compared to what they once were. They slowly dim, their white becoming a more light grey as a faint humming sound comes from the feathers, similar to crickets if crickets were high pitched and harmonized nicely. He stands up, towering over both Ross and Arin as he stretches out his arms and blinks his three eyes. 

"Brian...? What the fuck?" Arin looks at Brian and then to Ross who looks like he's about to be sick. Several feathers have fallen out of his wings from the trip up and a few of his feathers are a darker color than usual. His feathers shudder as well, releasing a sick sounding harmony that only seems to upset Ross more. 

"I'm sorry, Arin. I... I've made so many mistakes." Brian mutters, bowing his head. 

"What's going on? Why am I in heaven?"

"I can explain everything once we get back down to Earth."

"Brian..." Ross says, sounding just as sick as he looks.

"Stop. I have to fix this. I have to reverse what I've done. If it means I'll lose my wings again for bringing him back down to earth then fuck, I'll lose my wings, but I'm not taking Arin's life over mine." Both Ross and Arin are staring at him. "It's strange being a demon. Self-preservation become your only cares, your desires are out over the desires of anyone else. Now, I see how I was wrong." Brian says, suddenly picking Arin up and slipping down through the clouds. Ross follows him meekly, praying his wings won't give out on him. He falters a few times, but manages to keep up with Brian. 

When Brian touches down, he walks along the beach back to where Arin's body is laying. 

"Brian?" Barry looks up, very confused. Holly rushes to Ross' side as he nearly collapses. Brian places Arin's soul back down in his body and then straightens up, looking out over the sea, a strange sensation coming over him. 

"Brian, what the fuck is going on?" Barry asks. 

"I've made a lot of mistakes. Where's Dan?"

"We don't know, we have yet to find him." Barry explains. 

"Please, all of you, remain here with Arin. I will find Dan." Brian says, his feathers shifting with the cool ocean breeze. He is partially surprised his wings are still behind him, but partially it. In a way, this is still doing good, even if it's while doing bad. He's cheated the system, and although he's no too proud of that, if it means staying on earth he's fine with it. 

He realizes that Dan isn't the only one missing. Mark seems to have vanished as well, perhaps in an attempt to chase after Brian earlier. 

He walks calmly long the shore towards the cave. He already knows Dan is in there. It's an angel thing, especially when it's someone you're that closely bonded to. Brian slips into the cave and finds the cave empty. He would have left and gone searching somewhere else had he not heard a quiet sad melody echoing from somewhere beneath the pool's depths. Brian approaches the edge of the crystal water and sees Dan floating just above the bottom of the rocky pool, his arms wrapped around himself as he hums quietly. He glances up and sees Brian, his eyes lighting as he suddenly rockets to the surface.

He breaches the surface and stares at Brian, his eyes wide and his mouth partially open. Tears are still running down his cheeks, mixing with the other water on his face. 

"Brian...? Is that, is that really you?" Brian nods and Dan quickly clambers from the water, his legs forming in an instant. "I thought you were gone, Mark and Arin couldn't save you, so..." he trails off as he mentions Arin. "Arin's gone, Brian." Brian only shakes his head, careful not to laugh. Dan's eyebrows meet in the middle as Brian sets a hand on his shoulder, shifting back into his human form so he no longer towers over Dan.

"Arin is fine. He's probably waiting for you." Without a second thought to Brian, Dan rushes out of the cave. While Brian does feel a bit hurt by this action, he hardly blames Dan. He follows after him, finding quite the touching scene of Dan hugging Arin so tight that he looks like he might burst and Arin just laughing into Dan's shoulder. There are some tears shed between them, and between his friends watching. As the group circles up, Brian is left standing near the outside edge. He turns around as he notices someone behind him. 

"It's nice of you to join up properly again." Mark nods.

"I'm glad Dan is so happy. I couldn't bear to see him as he was." Brian says, turning back to look at Dan. 

"You're the reason behind all of this." Mark reminds him. 

"Yes. I know. I shouldn't have done what I did, but there's no changing it. You don't have to be so cold to me, Mark. Despite my past, I have no intentions of hurting you."

"I suppose it's only fair I give you a second chance. After everything I've seen today, I can undoubtedly say your intentions are pure, if not somewhat misguided."

"That's a lot of big words for a pea-brain like you." Brian jokes. 

"Sure wish your big mouth would use some of em, don't ya?" Mark mocks and Brian only shakes his head. The group in front of them parts and both Dan and Arin excitedly run to Brian, embracing him and nearly knocking him over. Ross had apparently explained everything, or everything he knew, to the both of them. Brian fills in the details as they thank him, and as Dan scolds him for being dumb enough to lose his wings in the first place. All is well, but Mark still can't help but feel like something is wrong. 

He closes his eyes for a second and when he opens them his eyes immediately dart to Dan. Dan's jaw is hanging loosely from the rest of his face, dangling at an awkward and painful looking angle. The skin surrounding it is peeling away, rotten and fly ridden. Flies move in and out of his agape mouth. His left arm is missing, a bloody and torn stump where his arm should have been. His legs are bent at wrong angles, and his clothes are ripped to near shreds. His hair is a mess, half of it standing straight up, the other half bloodied and disgusting. It's terrifying, to say the least.

"Hey, Mark, you okay?" Dan asks. Mark blinks a few times and the vision vanishes. He frowns but nods, knowing exactly what this means. What had happened to because this sudden change of Dan's soul, Mark can't fathom. He can't think of anything that happened in the past few weeks that would have caused for this course of action. Then again, nothing ever really makes sense. 

"Yeah, I'm fine, just thought I saw something." Brian raises an eyebrow at Mark who is still staring somewhat intently at Dan, as though expecting something to happen any second. When nothing does, Brian shakes his head and returns his gaze to Dan with a fond smile.

What a perfect ending to a shitty few weeks.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you liked it, feel free to leave a comment or kudos! This is my first work, so sorry if it was a bit rough anywhere.


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